Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK — charity comparison
In short: Alzheimer's Society is built around support, information and services for people living with dementia; Alzheimer's Research UK funds research — complementary models, not interchangeable brands.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Searches for Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK usually mean a donor wants to help with dementia and recognises both names. Treat it as a model choice first: support for people living with dementia now versus investment in future treatments. Then compare Clarity Score beacons and filings. Information only.
Key differences
| What to compare | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK |
|---|---|---|
| Primary model | Support, information and services for people affected by dementia | Research into causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment |
| Results timeline | Help for people and families now | Longer-term scientific progress |
| What “cause spend” includes | Support programmes and related charitable activities | Research grants and charitable research activity |
| Best if you want | Practical support for people living with dementia | Investment in dementia research |
What the latest filings show
Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our methodology.
| Metric | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 83/100 (4★) | 84/100 (4★) |
| Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Spend on charitable activities | 67% of expenditure | 68% of expenditure |
| Fundraising efficiency | £2.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £3.6 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) |
| Latest income | £144m | £62m |
| Fundraising spend | 33% of expenditure | 32% of expenditure |
| Reserves | 3 months | 6 months |
| Accounts filing | On time | On time |
| Data confidence | high | high |
| Charity number | 296645 | 1077089 |
ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY on the register · ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK on the register
ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY may suit you if…
- You want donations to fund support for people living with dementia today
- You or someone you know has used Society-style services
- You prefer tangible help over lab research
ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK may suit you if…
- You want to fund research into better treatments
- You are comfortable with longer research timelines
- You want a research-led national dementia charity
Common questions
Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK — which is better to donate to?
Neither is universally better. One is oriented to support; the other to research. Compare Clarity Scores and cause spend, then give to the model that matches your intention — many donors support both over time.
Are Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK both legitimate UK charities?
Yes — both are long-established registered charities. Still verify the charity number on any unfamiliar appeal, because scammers borrow well-known names.
What about Dementia UK?
Dementia UK is another support-led charity, known for specialist nursing. Use the compare tool to put any two rated profiles side by side.
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.